


Prowl's Litigon

by Fianna9, gatekat



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Cats being Predators, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:23:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3445283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fianna9/pseuds/Fianna9, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatekat/pseuds/gatekat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Autobots agree to take in a big cat that is too much into close physical contact for humans to handle. It decides that Prowl will be its new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prowl's Litigon

It was just another long shift fielding calls from humans reporting possible Decepticon activity. So far none sounded particularly urgent or realistic, but he'd forward all the information on to Prowl anyway. Sometimes their SIC could do things with these random seeming reports that still blew the Comms specialist away. Answering yet another call, Blaster was prepared for more of the same. "Autobot headquarters, Blaster speaking."

"Hello, this is Amy from Wild Side Big Cat Rescue. We have something of an unusual problem we hope the Autobots can help with. One of our residents needs a lot of human attention to be happy, but she's too large and occasionally aggressive for it to be safe for our volunteers. We are hoping that the Ark or one of your residents might take her in."

"She's too large and aggressive for you to manage. Exactly what kind of resident are we talking about?" Blaster perked up. This was much more interesting than claims of Seekers knocking down power lines.

"Sundar is a litigon. Her mother is Jewel, a tigon, and her father is Burron, an Asiatic lion. She's the sweetest thing most days, but at almost seven hundred pounds it doesn't take much for her to critically injure a human," Amy explained. "She mostly wants to cuddle and just be near people."

"I can see where that could be a problem, but what made you turn to us?" Blaster thought for a moment. "We're not exactly set up for giant cats."

"But you are a group of social beings who won't be badly hurt by a seven hundred pound cat and give her the attention she needs to be happy. I met Hound when he visited a couple years ago," Amy explained.

"Just a moment, I need to speak with someone." Blaster linked into a separate call. This was way above his grade. Too bad Hound wasn't in; he'd love this. "Prime, sorry to bother you sir, but this request is a little odd."

"Go ahead, Blaster," Prowl responded easily. 

"I have an Amy on the phone from a wildlife sanctuary. They sound a little desperate and want to know if we can take in a playmate for Steeljaw." Blaster relayed. "Should I connect her through?"

"Yes," Optimus agreed readily. "Hello Amy. This is Optimus Prime. Please tell me a little more about this being you wish us to take in."

"Thank you for taking my call, sir. She's a sweet litigon named Sundar. She really likes people and wants to cuddle, but she's almost eleven feet long and just too much for us to handle safely. She's big enough she shouldn't be a problem for your people." Amy explained.

"How did she come into your care?" Optimus asked even though he'd already decided to agree. Between Hound, Bluestreak and Mirage he knew he could find a caretaker for it. If he wasn't so busy he knew having a pet would be nice even for himself.

"She got too big for her last owner to manage. She knocked him over while playing and sat on him. He couldn't make her move so he hit her in the face. She was given to us by Animal Control." Amy admitted.

"Not a problem we will have," Optimus assured her. "Even my smallest mecha can lift her, and would suffer no damage if they couldn't until someone larger came. We can also easily ensure she is not around our few human visitors unsupervised."

"So you'll take her?" Amy's smile could be heard through the telephone. "Would it be possible for one of your people to pick her up or do we need to make transportation arrangements? I can send you all the information on her dietary requirements."

"Yes, we will take her in. There are several mechs here who are very fond of animals," Optimus agreed. "Would she accept being inside a closed trailer for transport, or would she need a more open environment?"

"We have a special crate we can load her into before the trip. She's comfortable in it." Amy paused for a moment. "She could probably move in a closed trailer since it's not that far."

"Then I will join Hound and Bluestreak to transport her. I expect my trailer is large enough, since you did not mention needing oversized vehicle permits to move her," Optimus said easily. "It will take a few days before we are ready," he added as a warning.

"Of course. That will give us time to say goodbye and get her ready for the trip. I'll send you her care information so you know what she needs." Amy sighed in relief. "Thank you, this means a lot to us."

"I am pleased to help such an unusual case," Optimus replied warmly. "We will call when we are ready to leave to pick her up."

* * *

The murmur and questions from many mecha were expected when Optimus entered the room to address the full complement of Autobots currently on Earth. He was sure everyone had a reasonably good idea of what he was going to say, after all Blaster had heard most of it and none of it was restricted access. Yet there was a surprising amount of uncertainty visible when he clicked to get their attention.

"My fellow Autobots. We have a long tradition of taking in those in need and today I receive a call about a most unusual being in need. A creature created by human whim that cannot live among them any more. As you have no doubt heard, we will be housing a human raised wild cat that can no longer live with humans. Sundar is a litigon, roughly seven hundred pounds and eleven feet long. While the exact conditions of her stay are still being determined, it is likely she will have access to most of the Ark and residential mountain."

"Do we need to worry about her around the humans?" Bumblebee asked curiously.

"We need to take some care that they are not accidentally damaged, however she is not dangerous so much as unaware of how easily she can damage them," Optimus explained. "She likes to cuddle."

"Which could suffocate a human. You're expecting me to take care of this cat, aren't you?" Ratchet glared at Prime over crossed arms. "It's not enough that I have to repair all of you and any injured humans, now I'm a veterinarian too?"

"I expect that First Aid and Hound would be primary for her medical care, as they care for the unofficial pets, however, yes, she is ultimately your responsibility as CMO," Optimus nodded to him.

First Aid stepped forward. "I'll begin research into her long term care immediately. Does she have any current medical needs?"

"According to the rescue center she is currently in good health." Optimus answered. "They are sending her medical records for your perusal."

"You're bringing a completely unknown variable into the Ark. This creature could compromise to our security." Red Alert sputtered.

"It's a cat, Red," Hound said patiently. "It's not intelligent enough to sabotage anything and they are easy to predict once one gets to know the individual. I'll tell you what to expect of her in a few days."

"We have managed former Decepticons. We can manage this," Prowl said firmly, though no one was fooled. He was only slightly less displeased than their security director.

"I'm not too worried about having her here." Beachcomber smiled. "She'll probably sleep most of the time."

"Likely," Hound added happily. "Once she finds a sunny spot to her liking she'll spend upwards of twenty hours a day there."

"Since I can see that I can not change your mind about this creature, I will do my best to integrate her into the system and prevent any incidents from occurring. With your permission, Prime?" Red Alert looked towards the door, obviously planning to head for his security office.

"Yes, and thank you, Red Alert," Optimus inclined his helm towards the red and white mech that was already trying not to look like he was bolting. "You will find a basic FAQ file on her genus, species and individual on the general board. Do read it. Are there any other questions?"

"Hound and I volunteer to get quarters ready for her." Beachcomber grinned at his friend. "At least until she finds her own spot."

"Thank you," Optimus smiled at the pair. "I'm sure she will appreciate your efforts."

* * *

Jazz was the first to reach to the Ark greeting the waiting Autobots. "That was a fun trip."

"How many laws did you break this time?" Prowl sighed in resignation.

Jazz transformed and smirked at Prowl. "Not even the speed limit. Hound said it would scare Sundar."

Prowl cycled his optics and actually glanced at Hound for confirmation.

"True," the scout grinned, causing Prowl to twitch his doorwings in surprise and several others snicker. "Now no crowding her. She's friendly and curious but we're _big_ and rather intimidating," he insisted as he walked around to the back of Prime's trailer to open it.

A plaintive whine echoed out of the trailer. Crouched in the crate looking miserable was a very large faintly striped tan and white cat. She looked up at Hound as the door opened. Hound growled, cooed and made several other decidedly organic noises and she relaxed with a rather happy trilling rumble as he climbed into the trailer. A klik later he emerged with a transformer-sized leash in hand and a fairly cooperative feline on the other end.

It was only then that most of the gathering grasped what a seven hundred pound feline actually looked like.

"It's bigger than Ravage," somebody whispered in shock as they all stared at the animal that came nearly to Hound's knee joint.

Sundar rolled her lips back and sneered, sniffing the air and exposing her fangs. After several long drags of air, she pulled slightly on the leash, wanting to move forward. Hound complied easily, allowing her to direct their movements as she cautiously explored outside her new home and the many giant beings she was to live among.

When she was well away from him, Optimus finally transformed. Sundar froze at the unfamiliar sound. Crouched close to the dirt she stared piercingly in Optimus's direction ears twitching. He lowered himself to one knee and leaned down, much as he did when speaking to a human, and slowly offered his hand to her as he'd seen Hound do. Carefully she crept closer keeping a wary eye on him. When he didn't move, she sniffed him deliberately. After a long moment, she straightened up a bit and bumped her head against his hand.

With a smiled Optimus carefully rubbed against her until her pleasured rumbled included all but melting against his hand.

"That's adorable," Bluestreak giggled. "I so hope she likes to recharge with someone."

"You mean you," Jazz snickered.

"Well, yes, I'd love it but I don't think it would be safe for her, not with my recharge issues," Bluestreak began to babble.

Sundar arched her back and bumped her head firmly against Optimus's leg several times. Finally satisfied, she pulled herself up, shook her fur out and strolled over to Bluestreak sniffing him curiously. The gray and black Praxian knelt and trilled and cooed at her when he offered his hand just as Optimus had, though it was much smaller. She listened to him for a moment, reared up and placed her paws on top of his arm.

Bluestreak was startled for a moment and froze completely, then grinned and continued to chat at her, not caring in the least if she understood or listened any more than he did when he was talking at mecha. Only this time he was clearly happy as he petted her and watched her watch his doorwings as they fluttered.

As a deep chuff rumbled from her throat, Sundar licked Bluestreak's hand. Pulling back slightly at the unfamiliar taste, she dropped back down on four paws. With a swish of her tail she tugged on the leash as she headed towards the Ark.

"I'll settle her in and feed her, and close the door," Hound said as he allowed her to lead for the moment.

"I'll make sure all the security measures are in place so she can't leave the property," Bluestreak promised before rushing off to do just that.

Eventually Hound managed to convince Sundar that she wanted to go towards her new sleeping quarters. After thorough investigation, she settled, waiting for him to remove the leash. It came off quickly once the door was closed and he reached into his subspace for the whole rabbit he'd acquired from a meat farm nearby. Perking up at the smell of meat, Sundar watched his hand attentively; tail swishing as she focused on her new quarry.

"In a few days we'll see how well you like to hunt," he smiled and got her to follow his hand several times before tossing the rabbit towards her in an easy arc.

After one quick lunge Sundar chomped through on her dinner. After eating she explored the room investigating everything. Besides the large pet bed, one large enough for human to sprawl on, there were balls on the ground, a padded platform at her eye level large enough to lounge on, a high shelf she couldn't reach and in the corner a box of loose dirt and sand that she sniffed at.

"For your waste," Hound commented from where he stood to watch and ensure she settled without too much trouble.

Knocking a blue ball into her bed, Sundar eventually wandered over for water. Lapping at the water running down into the small pool, she drank her fill. Satisfied, she jumped onto the platform and stared at Hound.

The green mech smiled and walked over to pet her for a bit. "Rest and settle in. I'll be back soon to show you around more," he promised before leaving to do his own check of all their security features that protected both her and their human visitors.

* * *

Three days after Sundar came to live in the Ark Prowl was working on his ornly ration of reports, requisition requests and other files needed to run an army, even one this small and isolated. He barely looked up when there was a ping to indicate someone at the door, he simply opened it and spoke. "What do you need?"

Silence greeted his words. After a moment, Prowl closed the door. It wouldn't be the first time the twins had triggered it on a prank. He turned back to his work. A little while later, Prowl heard a soft rustling sound. Stepping into view on his left, Sundar rubbed her head against his desk.

Prowl stared at her for a moment, then shrugged and returned to his work. Sundar crouched and leaped directly onto his desk and Prowl jerked back in surprise to stare at this invader that was even more impertinent than Jazz. Delighted with her new position she butted her head against his arm.

"No," Prowl told her and tried to gently push her off his desk. Ignoring Prowl's gentle push, Sundar sprawled out on top of his desk. With a happy chuff, she rubbed her body across the desk, scattering the datapads and knocking some onto the floor.

"No," Prowl said more firmly and did push her off the surface before standing to gather the fallen pads. Having gathered the last pad from the floor, he turned back to his desk. Sundar looked back up at him as she rested curled up in his chair.

With a scowl he set the datapads on his desk and pushed her off his chair with one hand while holding it steady with the other. "No."

Yowling unhappily, she glared up him as he sat down and went back to work. With a solid thump, Sundar jumped over his arm and straight onto his lap. A tail thwacked at his arm as she began curling up.

Prowl's engine gave a growl of frustration and he pinged Hound. ::Please come get your pet,:: he said without any hint of how annoyed he really was when the scout answered.

Sundar's tail twitching lightly as she settled in for a snooze, only looking up when the door opened. Hound had to stifle a snicker at the big cat on Prowl's lap but obediently stepped forward to collect her at Prowl's irate look.

* * *

All in all it had been a pleasant evening for Optimus, who was settled quietly in one corner of the Rec Room observing his Autobots. Hound and Bluestreak sat drinking their energon, sharing quiet chatter about the local wildlife's response to Sundar's latest adventures outside. Jazz and Sideswipe had their helms down with Sunstreaker looking on in resignation as he fueled and watched them plan something. Optimus rather hoped it was a surprise party and not something more disruptive.

He glanced at the door when there was movement and nodded to Prowl as the Praxian came in for his energon. True to pattern Prowl retrieved it and then came to the table Prime was at. "May I join you, sir?"

"Of course." Optimus motioned to the chair across from him. After a few minutes of companionable silence, the door to the Rec Room opened as Sundar stalked into the room. Prowl's doorwings twitched and Optimus knew it was an unhappy movement. His SIC did not like their new resident, though he still didn't know why.

"Hay there kitty," Jazz trilled at her.

Sundar stopped and pondered Jazz, ears pricked as her tail flicked lightly. She made no move to approach him as he reached down to try and coax her over. That was enough for a few minutes and she submitted to the petting before moving on, her gaze locked on an oblivious Prowl.

Once she was at his side, Sundar casually jumped straight onto Prowl's lap. Sticking her head out from under the table, she stared up at him and rubbed her cheek against his chestplate.

Hound turned aside, shoulders heaving as he tried not to burst out laughing at the snarl Prowl's engine gave and the scene it produced. Sundar just continued to rub against him, enjoying the use of under his prominent chest to run her head and cheek against. The vibrations of his irritation only encouraged her.

"It seems she likes you," Optimus said casually as he tried to control his mirth for his proper SIC's sake.

"It is not mutual," Prowl rumbled in something resembling frustration as he tried to push her off, a process than ended with her on the floor and long claw marks in his finish.

Sundar twisted around on her feet and undeterred sprang onto the back of Prowl's chair. Rubbing against his doorwings, she crawled over his shoulder and tried to rest her front paws on his chestplate. Her raspy tongue licked his chevron.

"No." Prowl told her as he pushed her off him again. Laying back her ears, Sundar reared up and planted both paws firmly on Prowl's side, shoving him forcefully. Even her nearly half ton frame didn't make much of an impact on him as he ignored her and attempted to continue reading. With a growl, she lunged forward and grabbed the pad in her mouth trying to pull it out of his hands.

Reflex drew Prowl's arm back to strike, but it was barely halfway up when Optimus caught him. Not even a word was needed as Prowl wilted against the disproving field.

"Something needs to be done or I won't get my work done," Prowl insisted plaintively when his arm was released.

Sundar let go of the pad and slid down to the floor. Standing warily near Prowl's feet, her tail lashed as she watched him carefully.

"What are you working on now?" Optimus asked gently.

"Energon production projections for next vorn," Prowl said with all the insistence of something that needed to have been finished yesterday even as he was aware that even Jazz was staring at him. "It is important."

"Prowl, that report while important does not need to be done immediately." Optimus reminded him. "Yes, Sundar does need to learn a few manners, but she is still young and needs attention. Attention she seems to desire from you."

"Face it, sir," Sideswipe chuckled. "She's decided you're her mech."

"Why _me_?" Prowl focused the question on Hound and Bluestreak.

"Well, she's a cat, and they do pretty much whatever they want. Especially if it's something you don't want them to do." Bluestreak chuckled a little.

Hound thought for a moment and then groaned exasperatedly. "You ignored her."

Prowl scowled at him. "So what was I supposed to do to be rid of her company?"

Bluestreak continued, slightly abashed. "Staring is aggressive behavior with cats. When you looked at her and then looked away she took that to mean you wanted to be friends. As for getting rid of her now that would take something really bad, and you don't want to hurt her, do you?"

Hound spoke up after Bluestreak's pause, "It's probably too late to change her opinion. She's decided you're her mech."

Prowl groaned slightly, but relented to Prime's look and shifted his chair back slightly before looking at her. "Well come up. I won't push you off this time."

"Pat your lap," Bluestreak suggested, and Sundar gracefully jumped up when Prowl complied.

"Fine. So she wants me to socialize with. How do I keep her off my desk, at least." Prowl grumbled.

"Pet her when she's on your lap." Jazz chuckled.

Hound added, "Seriously, praise her when she's good. Cat's don't learn from punishment."

::Sounds like some mechs I know.:: Jazz commed Prowl.

::Sounds like several of them,:: Prowl grumbled in reply as he considered the advice. "What is her fascination with my desk?" he asked as he absently stroked her shoulders and back, careful of the pressure.

"If she was a housecat or a leopard I'd say she wants to be high off the ground because she felt safer." Bluestreak thought for a moment watching Sundar. Her eyes were just slits as she relaxed her head against Prowl's chest. "But she's not, so she might just want you to pay attention to her. It's hard to say since she's both lion and tiger."

::So the humans say that if you put tape on a counter a housecat won't jump on it. Would that work on Prowl's desk?:: Sideswipe commed Hound.

::They mean double-sided tape, so it sticks to their paws. That would impede Prowl as much as her,:: Hound shook his helm.

"Best answer I can give you is to reward her when she jumps on your lap." Hound smiled at Sundar's blissed expression.

"Or somewhere else that I prefer her on," Prowl surmised as he regarded the feline and checked the FAQ for how long she would be with them. His engine grumbled softly at the resulting twenty years at the top end, though half that was much more likely. Still, it was only a metacycle or two. He'd dealt with far worse for far longer. He'd dealt with Jazz the entirety of the war after all.

"Now you're getting it, sir. Just think of her as a less unruly Sideswipe." Bluestreak's doorwings twitched.

"Hay!" the red mech objected, only to quiet at the looks he got.

"Less unruly, but more difficult to punish," Prowl grumbled a bit. "At least Sideswipe understands and follows directions to the brig."

"I'm not unruly," Sideswipe objected.

"Yes you are," Sunstreaker snorted.

"She'll be far, far easier to predict once you get to know her though," Hound pointed out. "She's likely to spend twenty hours a day sleeping."

"As this shows, that does not always mean she's not in the way," Prowl pointed out, not even aware he was still petting her.

"If she's on your lap when you're working she's not in the way. It's not like you get up anyway." Jazz folded his arms, amused by the picture. "How many times an orn does Blue bring you energon?"

::I have read that petting a cat has soothing properties?:: Optimus quietly commed Hound.

::Yes, so have I.:: Hound tried not to chuckle. ::It'll be good for him once he gets used to it.::

"He always does so before I am scheduled to get it myself," Prowl countered.

"What? I like being helpful!" Bluestreak squeaked at the looks sent his way as he entered another stream of consciousness ramble that no one really listened to.

"So as long as Blue keeps being Blue there's no problem with her crashing with you." Jazz kicked back in his chair as he commed the twins and Optimus. ::Five orn til she moves in with him. Any takers?::

::One.:: Optimus hid his smile at the strange scene of his tightly-wound SIC petting a huge organic creature in his lap. ::And we'll need to take in another one when this one passes.::

::Three orn into his office only.:: Sunstreaker stared at the scuffs and scratches the claws had caused to Prowl's frame. No way he was holding that thing. ::Red Alert will freak out either way.::

::You want me to get the humans breeding them?:: Sideswipe offered. ::Hound and Bluestreak definitely want one.::

::Absolutely not,:: Optimus said firmly. ::Both species are on the endangered list. They need to preserve the species, not create hybrids.::

::Besides, there's no way it's just litigons that'll work. Any big cat that needs attention will do,:: Jazz added.

::I'll see what Hound and I can round up.:: Sideswipe grinned. ::Imagine Red's reaction when there's more of them running around.:: He frowned. ::Imagine what the 'Cons will do to them if they grab them.::

::A lot less than they do to the humans, I expect,:: Jazz pointed out. ::I still recommend keeping it down to no more than one new one at a time, and only after the previous has settled in.::

::Many of these big cats are also solitary,:: Optimus pointed out. ::It may not be wise to have more than one in residence.::

After a quick relay from Sideswipe Hound chimed in. ::Lions might work out better here; they live in prides of females with or without one to three related males unrelated to the females.:: He smiled at the mech seated beside Optimus. ::She's asleep. I wonder how long he'll keep sitting here.::

::I'm sure we'll find out,:: Optimus chuckled over the comm. ::However, I must insist that any 'pets' come to us the way Sundar has.::

::Understood, boss.:: Quietly, Jazz rose and slipped out of the room, Hound trailing behind him. 

* * *

It turned out that even Optimus had over estimated how long it would take Sundar to move in with Prowl, or at least into his office. In barely three days, not even ten joors, she had a padded perch to the left of the desk where he would pet her while he worked. It all lead up to the moment those with a clue were dreading. The first time Prowl went to recharge in his berth thirty joors after her arrival and he locked her out.

Jazz could hear strange sounds coming from outside. Stepping out into the hallway, he stared at the culprit. Yowling plaintively, Sundar had stretched to her full height, dragging her claws down Prowl's door. He couldn't quite hold back a chuckle as he watched her attempt to get inside to her mech. It was adorable and sad all at once, and reminded Jazz of a couple occasions where a mecha was smitten with Prowl and Prowl never did seem to catch on.

"Hope ya have better luck than most, sweetie," he told the unhappy feline.

Laying her ears back, she turned toward Jazz and yowled. Dropping down, she stalked over to him and tried to grab his hand in her mouth but she wasn't really tall enough.

"Hay there," Jazz lifted it higher out of reflex. "He didn't give me the code either."

She yowled again at him. Disgruntled when he didn't move, she charged back over to the door. With a snarl, she slammed her shoulder into the door.

"Hay!" Jazz was on her even as she stepped back to try it again and grabbed her to force her to lay down with his size and mass, though the effort was hampered by trying not to hurt her. ::Hound! Prowl's quarters. Now. Kitty has lost her mind.::

Sundar twisted around and flashed her teeth at Jazz, snarling in protest. She pushed against his weight trying to stand and move back towards the door.

Jazz could hear footsteps pounding towards him. Hound and Ironhide rounded the corner and barreled towards them.

"I was afraid of this," Hound sighed before focusing on Sundar with a combination of sounds that mixed human and feline vocalizations. "Calm down, Sundar. Why want past door?"

"Bad wall. Hide mine." Sundar snarled and then whined at him.

"Come play with us," Hound cooed at her. "Prowl rests."

"Watch. No get eaten. Guard." Sundar twisted, trying to slip out of Jazz's grasp.

"Jazz, let her in," Hound looked at the SpecOps commander. "I'll leave a message explaining it in the priority queue. She doesn't trust that he's safe in there."

With a snort of amusement Jazz got to his pedes and walked over to Prowl's door. Sundar perked her ears and paced next to him, bumping her head against his knee. Making a point of hiding exactly what he was doing from the others, he made a quick movement with his hand and the door slid open. His position also shielded the recharging Prowl from other onlookers for the brief moment it took the cat to slip inside.

As the door closed, Sunder carefully explored the darkened room. Sniffing each wall as well as the few objects she could reach, she made certain nothing dangerous lurked behind the few pieces of furniture. Finally satisfied and comfortable with the familiar scent surrounding her, Sundar curled up and dozed in front of the door, ears twitching at any detectable sound.

All remained quiet once the people left, and she was just getting hungry she heard someone come up to the door. It opened as she stood and a rabbit was tossed to her by Jazz before the door closed again. Snatching the rabbit out of the air, she devoured it within a few minutes. Hunger sated, she jumped up onto the berth ready to curl up next to her mech. He was warm and still and so very pleasant to snuggle against. So much better than the small people she used to be with. She couldn't accidentally hurt this one.

Fully booted, Prowl stared down at the much smaller cat curled next to his legs. Hound's message indicated she wanted to protect him and had forcibly insisted upon entering his quarters. Although she was physically larger than Ravage, statistically she was unlikely to be able to take down any of the Decepticons, particularly fully asleep as she seemed to be. Still, it did little harm and she wasn't in the way so he didn't bother expending the energy required to get up and force her into the hallway.

He was halfway back into recharge when it occurred to him to wonder how Hound knew what she wanted, but the question would wait for the scout's shift.

* * *

A solid thump against his foot broke Prowl's concentration away from Ratchet's report. Looking down, he saw the familiar blue ball rolling away from him. Sundar snorted dove for the ball, knocking it back at him. Prowl largely ignored it, though he did give the ball a bit of help in bouncing away from him when it impacted next. After a few chases, Sundar picked up the ball in her mouth and jumped up onto Prowl's desk. She dropped the ball directly into his lap and glared up at him.

"No. Get down," he said sharply in her mixture of English and feline and pointed to the lounge she had at his desk level.

"Play." Sundar pouted. "You learn chase. Train."

"I work. You play," he said firmly. "Ball here," he placed it on the lounge. "I throw."

"Throw." She demanded and leapt to the lounge, crouching and lashing her tail as she tracked from the ball to his hand.

With a soft chuckle Prowl gave the ball a toss, angling it so it would bounce at least once before she caught up with it.

Sundar leaped off the table, ricocheted off the wall as she dove for the ball. Claws scrambling against the metal floor, she pounced, twisting onto her back with the ball firmly caught in her paws. She gnawed on the ball for a moment before getting to her feet and heading to Prowl, ball firmly in her mouth. She crouched just at the edge of his reach, tail snapping.

"On your space," he instructed calmly as he tapped the lounge.

"You play." Sundar stared at him intently, tail constantly lashing behind her.

"I work," he replied. "You play."

Sunder leaped onto the lounge, dropping the ball between her feet. "Hmmph."

Despite her displeasure, Prowl picked up the ball and waved it to make sure she was interested before flinging it with a more complicated bouncing pattern. She leaped after the ball, chasing it as it bounced around the room. Running into a wall with a solid thud, the ball rolled up against Prowl's right foot. Twisting, she charged straight under the desk, only to ricochet off him after he gave it a light kick to send it flying again.

She tracked the ball as it bounced, batting it back at Prowl as she flew past it. Spinning as she slid into the corner, her eyes locked on the blue target as he gave it another kick to send it bouncing away from her again.

Safe in the security center, Red Alert smiled softly at the way his friend's doorwings began to relax and the faint twitches of enjoyment they displayed.

* * *

Hound chuckled at Sundar's happy chuffs as she bound around energetically. Fortunately she hadn't sulked too badly when Prowl insisted on remaining in the office, not when _outside_ and _play_ was offered with a mech she knew really would play with her. Hound had seen the clips of what Prowl called playing, and while he was pleased that their stiff tactician understood and was willing to indulge her that much, it was still kind of sad too. For the time being, however, she was less interested in Hound's attention than in bounding after puff of dust in the wind and generally running about a space far larger than Prowl's office.

After a spectacular leap, she crashed passed him and ricocheted off a rock outcropping. Sundar ripped some brush out of the ground as she landed. Tumbling she thrashed at the brush with her back legs. Having subdued the plant, she rose and shook off the dust covering her back. After a quick grooming, she bound off, looking for more things to play with. It was adorable despite the damage and reminded Hound of the millions of _Felis catus_ vids that humans uploaded to the internet of their pets.

Still ignoring Hound, she froze crouched down against the ground with her tail out. Carefully she crept forward, one paw moving at a time; Hound thought it was like watching a human stop-motion movie. Ears erect, she stalked the fearsome tumbleweed.

He had to forcefully mute his trill of pleasure and amusement least he disrupt her, then again when he realized there was a jackrabbit hiding in the tumbleweed she was stalking. It gave him a moment of pause. They fed her whole rabbits often, along with chickens, and parts from wild hog, deer, cow and horse. All of it organic and at least half of it wild, but all of it dead well before she saw it. Would she even recognize the animal she was about to startle into flight as food?

After freezing for a moment, Sundar raced for the tumbleweed. She almost stumbled with surprise as the jackrabbit raced zigzagging out of the cover. Recovering, she darted after the new moving toy. This was much more challenging than playing with plants. It darted and dodged even better than the ball did when Prowl threw it. Such fun!

She heard Hound shout as she caught up, but not even the sudden noise interrupted her pounce. Trapping it with her paws, she leaned down and grabbed it in her mouth. Hound would have fun playing with this toy. Surprised by the familiar taste of blood, she pulled back and sniffed at the motionless toy. This wasn't a toy; this was food. She sniffed at it again, then made quick work of eating it.

By the time Hound reached her it was functionally gone and he shook his head. So much for the disemboweling they did with her meals, though he still wanted to do that. The amount of bacteria in animal guts were astounding to him and none of it seemed healthy. He'd just be sure to check her every joor or so and ask Prowl to keep an optic out for any signs of distress.

"Enjoy catch food?" Hound asked in her mixed language when she looked up at him.

"Food! Play!" Sundar looked up at him. She lashed her tail and then rolled over briefly onto her back. Hound knew better than to try and pet her stomach. After a few twists on the grass, she rolled back over and got to her feet. "More play food."

"You must find," Hound grinned, pleased that such a sheltered life had not ruined her enjoyment of what she was.

Turning into the wind, Sundar curled her lips and took a long drag. After a moment, she started off towards more of the brush. Every few steps she stopped and scented the wind. Next to one bush she pawed at the ground, digging for a bit at a hole. Stopping to look back at Hound she growled, "Food hide?"

"Yes. Food that moves hide," Hound nodded and watched her with utter fascination. He hadn't had an opportunity to watch this behavior before.

"New play good." Sundar shifted her attention back to the breeze. After another careful sniff she started slowly creeping towards a cluster of brush. The closer she got, the slower she moved, sliding effortlessly into the stop-motion gate Hound had seen earlier. She was just about in springing range when a sound startled her and her prey. A bird launched into the air from inside the brush. Springing after it, she leaped into the air, her paw barely missing it as it flew away. Growling, she chased after it for a few strides before stopping with a grumble. "Food test."

"Test?" Hound asked.

"Not ground. Moved up. No catch." Sundar shook her head and pawed at her ear. "No treat." She sat and sulked, licking her tail.

He nodded, simply accepting her opinion of what had happened. "No catch common. Hunt-catch hard."

Sundar got to her feet with a huff. "Me hunt-catch better. Many treats." With that, she turned and padded off away from the Ark, still sniffing the wind.

* * *

Sundar growled as she paced restlessly in front of the door. She hadn't done anything too bad. There was no reason to punish her by putting her in here. She should be with Prowl. Annoyed, she laid back her ears, reared up and slammed her paws into the door. It still refused to budge against her weight. Snarling, she jumped onto her ledge and kicked everything off. There was activity far away, booms that didn't sound good and she could occasionally feel. Something was very wrong and _she should be out there!_

She leapt down again and paced, then yowled and banged on the door some more.

The booms stopped.

That was good.

Now where were the people?

As the quiet continued she became more distressed. Why was she still alone? Frantic, she let out a massive roar and charged the door, slamming into it shoulder first. When that failed to open it, she reared up and began feverishly clawing at the door.

She heard someone call to her to calm down and among his babble was ' let out'. It was enough and she calmed to just yowling and pacing until the door slid open.

"That's a girl." Bluestreak stood beside the door, knowing better than to stand in front of the anxious cat. As he'd predicted, she bolted out of the room and scanned the area frantically.

"Where Prowl?" she snarled when her mech did not appear.

"Office," Bluestreak obligingly pointed the way, even though she knew it better than he did. With a huff, Sundar took off down the hall. The harsh smells around Blue were making her nervous. Her anxiety grew as she passed more and more mechs smelling like Warpath, who always made her nose wrinkle. Rounding the last corner, she sprinted for the office. The door opened for her as it should, though it took longer than she liked.

With half her body inside she froze and wrinkled her nose. _Prowl_ smelled like Boom-Blam Warpath!

"Hello, Sundar," Prowl greeted her.

Sundar scanned the room swiftly, searching for the loud mech. Not seeing him, she hesitantly walked over to Prowl and hesitantly sniffed his leg. "You mate?" She cried plaintively.

Prowl jerked in surprise, though the leg next to her barely twitched. "No. Why do you think that?" 

"Smell like Boom-Blam. Him heat? You Mine." She rubbed her head hard against his leg, trying to cover the offensive odor and reclaim her mech. She rumbled and chuffed happily when he allowed it and even petted her.

"Did Bluestreak smell like him?" Prowl asked.

"Him smell play fight long time." Sundar leaped up onto Prowl's lap, continuing to mark her mech. "Smell all over. Me fix you."

"We smell like this because we were in a fight," Prowl tolerated her rubbing with more grace than most would have given him credit for.

Sundar stopped marking abruptly, leaning up to place both paws on his chestplate. Staring at his face she growled, "Why me no fight? Me beat them."

"They would kill you," Prowl replied seriously. "They are mecha, like I am."

"You hurt?" Sundar began sniffing Prowl again, looking for more bad odors and wounds.

"No, not hurt," Prowl assured her. "Hound was."

Sundar dropped back down to his lap and looked at the door, her tail thumping anxiously against his chestplate. Hound was definitely her second favorite among the mechs and hearing he was hurt was upsetting. "Go see?"

"I will soon." Prowl promised. "You can go now."

"You come." Sundar reached over and carefully closed her mouth on his arm to tug it. She'd learned the hard way biting metal hurt.

"Soon, Sundar." Prowl insisted. "Finish this first," he tapped the datapad he was working on.

Ears back, she lunged for the datapad. "Now. Pride hurt."

Prowl's engine growled at her before Red Alert pinged him. ::Just calm her down. The report will be there in a breem and you know it.::

Sundar froze when she heard and felt Prowl's engine. With a rumble of her own she jumped down and slunk over to the corner by the door. She plopped down with her back to him, tail curled tightly around herself.

::You are not helping,:: Prowl grumbled at his best friend.

::Yes I am. You just don't realize it yet.:: Red Alert replied, and almost managed to keep the snicker from his tone.

::I could ruin your reputation by posting this exchange, you know. Red Alert has a sense of humor. No one will take you seriously again.:: Prowl huffed even as he locked his office contents down.

::And I could ruin yours far more by posting any number of clips of the two of you. Prowl has a spark and indulges his pet cat.:: Red Alert did snicker this time.

Sundar turned her head slightly and peeked a glance at Prowl, jerking her head down when she spied him watching her. Licking her paw, she pretended she wasn't paying any attention to him. That lasted right up to when she heard him stand and walk towards her.

"We'll check on Hound now," Prowl said as the door slid open.

"Good." She stood and gracefully walked over to his left side, sticking close as they headed out of the office. She kept her ears pricked and continued to sniff as they moved down the corridor. The lingering smells still bothered her but at least she knew what had caused them now. It wasn't long before she realized they were headed for the _bad place_ that smelled of pain and had the mean mech that always yelled.

"Hound trapped?" She whined laying back her ears and puffing her tail. She really didn't like the mean mech yelling at her about her fur. "Help free?" She lashed her tail rapidly against Prowl's leg.

"Hound injured," Prowl corrected. "This is where we heal. Ratchet fix mechs."

"Mean." Sundar growled. She narrowed her eyes and stiffened her gait. She was determined to make it past the mean mech and see Hound. He would need lots of grooming if he was stuck in the bad place stinking like Prowl had before she took care of it.

"Yes, but skilled," Prowl said as he walked in. Ratchet didn't even look up from his work on Sideswipe with Sunstreaker hovering nearby.

Sundar clung close to Prowl as they entered the bad place. The reek of pain and bad smells made her grimace in disgust. Ignoring the sounds and smells she craned her neck, searching for Hound's familiar shape and voice.

"There," Prowl said quietly and pointed to one of the tall tables. Just a bit of Hound's green shown over the edge.

After staring at Prowl for a long moment as he moved to the first berth on the right of the door, Sundar took off and leaped for the table, landing gracefully next to Hound. She started sniffing him as soon as she landed, checking his injuries. He smelled of fighting, just as everyone seemed to, but she couldn't find anything missing as he smiled at her and reached over to stroke her back.

With a rumbled chuff she arched into his hand and began carefully covering the bad scents with her own. Looking back at Prowl, she placed a possessive paw lightly against Hound's chestplate, "Me guard hurt. You stay safe. Us guard hurt."

"At least until Ratchet notices," Hound whispered with good humor and continued petting her. "Glad you came."

* * *

Sundar huffed to herself as she sprawled on the lounge by Prowl's desk. She didn't feel like moving to hunt down other company, and he said he'd be back soon. It hadn't stopped her following him, but she knew the door he went into was one that would never open for her and just didn't feel like yowling this time. Lots of good pride-mates were in there with him. She hated being excluded.

Her head came up when the door to the office slid open, but it wasn't Prowl. It was Sometimes-Nice Red. Sideswipe, the others called him.

"Hay there. Brought you a treat." The black face grinned at her and something white and loud went flying into the room.

Sundar sprang to her feet and went after the white thing. It was scattering smaller white things as it sailed by, but she ignored them as she moved to intercept its bounce off the desk. She flashed out a paw to snag it but it made another loud noise and moved up and away from her. Her claws barely scratched it as it wobbled out of her reach.

With a delighted chuff she bounded after it to the sound of the mech laughing and then the door closing.

Good. Food test couldn't escape now.

It was _loud_. Moved weird. Didn't fly high. Good test.

The food test flopped onto the desk making a racket as it bumped into everything. Sundar crouched and pounced, trying to take it down. It launched sideways, flinging itself away from her. She scattered and knocked things off the desk as she scrambled to keep from sliding off. Growling, she leaped for it as it perched on the back of the chair.

More squawking as it flapped and kind-of flew to the single shelf in the room. Despite her fixation on the target, Sundar paused. Prowl was _very_ possessive of that shelf. The one time she'd almost jumped on it the snarl of his engine and hard push off his desk had sent her spinning to the far side of the room. She didn't understand why he was so possessive about it, but she understood it was the only thing that could incite him to violence against her.

This made the test much harder. After some thought, she jumped down onto the floor. Carefully, she shoved the chair towards the shelf. Maybe she could scare the test down without it damaging anything?

It made a less squawking noise, more a clicking, and shifted away from the motion but didn't get down from the shelf of small objects. Well, small to Prowl. They were all bigger than the food test.

Pushing the chair so the back was against the wall under the far side of shelf, she snarled up at the test. Jumping up onto the chair, she started climbing up onto the back. It wobbled slightly when her forepaws were on the top, but held steady enough. Pushing off with her hind paws sent everything in motion though. The chair pushed against the wall, then rolled away from it as it began to fall backwards.

Sundar scrambled wildly as the chair tipped out from under her. She landed pressed against the wall as the crash echoed in the room. Looking up, she glared at the food test still perched on the forbidden shelf. With a huff, she licked her shoulder and then looked around the room pondering her next attempt. She stared at the other chair with distrust, but nudged it. It resisted a lot more than the first. Determined, she grabbed the fallen chair with her teeth and dragged it out of the way. She pressed against the new chair and shoved, pushing it towards the shelf. This food test was not going to beat her.

It looked down at her, clucking and clicking and shifting as she pushed the second chair under the shelf. With a smooth leap she was on the seat, and then more carefully reached up to put her forepaws on the edge of the back.

Steady so far.

With another careful push, she got her hind paws on the back of the chair. It wasn't as stable as solid ground, but it held. With a careful shift of her feet, she slowly reached upward, stretching towards the test. She couldn't quite reach it, but she flicked her paws at it, trying to scare it down. It moved away from her steadily, right to the edge of the shelf, but refused to go any further.

It was away from any objects though. Nothing between it and open air.

With a growl she made a careful lunge upwards. She _might_ manage to hit it with a paw, but she'd definitely come very close. Close enough to scare it down.

A loud squawk issued from the white food test and off it went, away from her and flopping on the ground. It scuttled away from her, under the desk, as she landed.

With a happy growl she leaped down from the chair, sending it crashing down on its side. Reaching under the desk, her claws scratched the test's side, spraying blood and white things across the floor. It made a loud screeching sound and flopped out the side, splattering blood as it ran. Sundar flicked her tail happily. Food test not hide on forbidden shelf again.

She lunged up to the top of the desk again. She wasn't really supposed to be here, but Prowl was not working so he wouldn't mind. A leap landed the food test squarely between her forepaws and under her jaws and she finished the landing all but flat on her belly.

It tried to flop out from under her, but Sundar smacked it with a paw, tearing off one of the limbs. Rolling onto her side, she surrounded it with her bulk, watching it flop around on the desk. She played with it for a little while, batting at it when it tried to start the test again by fleeing. With a happy chuff she grabbed in her jaw and crunched. It made a cut-off screeching sound and more blood splattered as it stopped moving.

She tossed it around a bit more, then bored, chomped it down in a couple quick bites. Happy with how long the game had lasted, she shivered her fur, stretched out languidly and then jumped up to her lounge by the desk to settle in for a good nap.

* * *

Prowl walked back to his office after a satisfyingly short officer's meeting and froze as the door to his office opened. Small smears and dots of brown-red seemed to be everywhere, along with dozens of white feathers.

::Red Alert. Was Sideswipe in my office?::

::Not all of him,:: Red Alert reported smoothly. ::Just a hand and helm.::

::Thank you,:: Prowl replied before closing the ling and pinging Sideswipe.

::Yes, sir?::

::To my office, now.:: Prowl told him more calmly than he felt.

Sundar looked up happily at Prowl from her place. "Won test. Shelf fine." Jumping down, she trotted over and stretched up for a pat. She'd done a good job after all.

"What test?" Prowl asked her as he further examined the damage, though he petted her absently as well.

Sundar chuffed. "Sometimes-Nice Red bring fun food test. Me do well?" She pressed her head against his leg, rubbing her chin against him. She wanted praise for a good job.

"Yes. It got on the shelf?" Prowl asked, just to be sure.

"Test on shelf. Me scare down. No touch shelf." Sundar preened, pleased that Prowl appreciated her care.

"Good," he knelt to stroke her. "Very smart."

Sideswipe pinged, requesting admittance. "Reporting as ordered, sir." Glancing down, he continued. "Hi, kitty."

"Fun test!" she rumbled up at him.

"Yes, about that," Prowl stood to face the warrior. "Since you chose an inappropriate location to feed her, you are responsible for cleaning up the mess."

"Aaww, come on, Prowl. She was hungry and bored, and you told me I can't take her out of your office by myself." Sideswipe crossed his arms.

"Notice I did not reprimand you for your actions," Prowl said blandly despite the snicker inside. "You are merely responsible for cleaning up."

"Fine, you wanna help, Sundar?" Sideswipe looked down at her grinning as she yawned, arching her back.

"No." Sundar bumped against Prowl's leg. "We play."

"After Sideswipe has the room clean," Prowl insisted as he walked over to her lounge and patted it.

"Okay." She jumped up on the lounge and rolled over on her side, sprawled out happily as Prowl's hand rubbed her head.

Sideswipe snickered and saved the image for later. Cleaning up the mess was worth it. It might not have been what he expected from the prank, but this was easily just as good.

* * *

Sundar yawned as she cracked open her eyes. She had enjoyed her morning stretched out in the sun, the heat pleasantly baking her fur as the metal scratched her belly. Peering lazily over the side, she watched for the mechs passing below. Basking was pleasant, but now she wanted fun. Who to play with?

The bright yellow that appeared next caught her attention. But which ... oh, Growly-Yellow. Sunstreaker. He didn't seem to know she was there.

Hound's warning flashed briefly through her mind as she watched him. Scratched Growly-Yellow bad. Okay, new test. Rolling smoothly onto her feet, she crouched near the edge, carefully waiting for him to come into range. As soon as he was close enough, she leaped for his shoulder. Good perch.

Right up until it wasn't where she expected it. Instead she landed harder than she expected on the front of his second form. It gave under her sudden weight and Growly-Yellow shouted. Her shoulder hurt. She carefully shifted as she lay on him, trying to lift herself up to get off Growly-Yellow as he cursed and demanded she move. Her right front leg didn't want to support her weight like normal so she slid slowly down his front until she could get her other legs firmly on the ground.

After what seemed like a very long time, she felt stable on her feet. Her right front shoulder was weak and hurt, but not so bad she'd limp.

"You okay, kitty?" Sometimes-Nice Red asked as he came outside and scooped her up to get her out of the way of Growly-Yellow moving forward.

"Me fine. Stupid Growly-Yellow." Sundar snarled as Sometimes-Nice Red his fingers against her sore shoulder. She glared at Growly-Yellow's taillights as he drove away. It was all his fault. "Down now."

"All right," Sometimes-Nice Red shifted his grip to let her down, and she only barely managed to stop herself from doing a face plant when her right foreleg refused to take any weight from landing for a moment. It obliterated her ability to sense anything for a moment, but she managed to stiffen her muscles and get her other paws under her.

"You sure you're okay? That was a hard hit." Sometimes-Nice Red watched her closely for a moment.

"Me said me fine." She huffed, nursing her sore ego. She turned and began carefully walking into the Ark. Even though it hurt to move it, she made certain to act like she was putting her full weight on her leg. Sometimes-Nice Red watched her a lot longer than she liked, but he eventually went on his way.

Now, where to hide until she felt better?

She followed her nose and memories to places where the scents were faint and old. Places pride never went.

Picking her way slowly through the rubble in the path, she pressed her left shoulder against the broken wall to force it open enough to squeeze through it. She had to stop and rest for a moment after that, but the small dark cave of rock and metal hidden behind it was just what she was looking for. Settling on her left side, she decided to rest here.

* * *

Sundar's growing thirst eventually roused her from slumber. Getting up proved more challenging than she expected since her shoulder was still weak and was now stiff and sore on top of it. Finally on her feet, she limped over to the crack in the wall. Hot pain lanced through her shoulder when she had to press it against the metal to get back out onto the path. It was enough that she leaned against the wall on her good side and panted for a moment to recover before moving on.

Water.

There was always water in Prowl's office.

Walking slowly to conceal her weakness, Sundar lifted her head and steadied her gait. Keeping her weight off her leg as best she could, she forced it to move as smoothly as possible. Prowl's office and water got closer with every painful step. At least these people were easy to feel coming. Big and heavy, they made the ground vibrate long before they got close. She paused and held still, close to the wall and watched as each passed, grateful that none seemed to do more than glance at her or a vocal greeting before moving on.

Temper frayed she refrained from talking to anyone as they passed. It was pleasant to enter the hall near the office; very few just walked here. With a tired huff, she paced up to the door. It slid open for her as usual and she went right for the bowl of constantly flowing water and drank her fill. Thirst finally slacked, hunger made itself known. She'd already missed a meal, or more. 

She looked up at Prowl working intently at his desk. "Food." She snarled.

He looked at her. "Not meal time."

She growled at him. "Food now."

Prowl paused at her aberrant behavior. ::Red Alert, when was the last time you saw Sundar eat?::

::Seven joors ago. Two groons before she jumped on Sunstreaker.:: He responded smoothly. ::Until she headed for your office three breems ago, she had not left level six.::

::Six?:: Prowl paused. ::Wasn't it completely crushed?::

::Yes, but she's small and flexible. I saw her go in.:: Red Alert verbally shrugged.

::Thank you.:: Prowl responded before closing the connection and opening another. ::Hound. Please prepare two meals worth of meat for Sundar. It seems she has not eaten in some time.::

::You want them live? It'll be quicker?:: Hound asked.

::Live is fine. My office will do. She is in quite a poor mood.:: Prowl didn't completely hide his concern.

::On my way.:: Hound paused for a moment. ::What's wrong with her? She's usually pretty cheerful.::

Growling and grumbling, Sundar stalked over to the corner and pressed against the wall. She rested her leg on the ground but pulled her weight up off of it.

::I don't know. She rather reminds me of Jazz when he's hiding damage,:: Prowl admitted as he watched her carefully without looking at her. "Hound is coming with food," he told her.

"Good." Sundar grunted. Part of her wanted comfort, but she couldn't appear weak in front of pride.

After a little while, Hound came in carrying two rabbits. "Food here." He said, looking at the sulking cat.

Sundar flattened her ears and hissed. "Take time."

::She is in quite a mood.:: Hound commented as the door closed and he put the rabbits down. They immediately got on the far side of his pede from her.

Suppressing a snarl, Sundar crouched for a moment watching. Very bad food test today. Quick with lots of run room. Slowly, she crept towards them, trying to conceal her problem. Once she got in range, she lunged for the closest test. She had to use her good leg to balance, so she tried to smack it without jarring her shoulder too badly. It made a sudden move to bolt right into her blow and went sprawling, unmoving.

Why did he help her?

Sundar stared warily up at Hound for a brief moment, but hunger made her grab the failed test. She growled. "No help. My test." Annoyed she quickly gulped it down. She would get the next one by herself. At least these food tests couldn't fly.

It bolted around Hound with her chasing it several times, then dove under Prowl's desk to hide between the Praxian's pedes. Instead of moving, Prowl held still. She jumped over Prowl's pede and landed with a hard thud on the test. Sundar felt something in her shoulder snap. She couldn't completely block the pained cry that slipped out. Trying to ignore it, she started bolting down the still twitching test.

::First Aid, I believe Sundar is damaged. There is no blood, but she is moving oddly and does not sound right.:: Prowl commed the medic.

::Does it appear to be too serious for you to carry her here? I can be at your office in just a few klicks if necessary.:: First Aid replied.

::I can carry her,:: Prowl asserted as he stood and knelt to carefully get a hand under her rump and the other under her chest so two fingers supported breastbone.

::When'd you learn that?:: Hound asked with genuine curiosity and some surprise. It wasn't the kind of skill he expected Prowl to have.

::I didn't. I merely extrapolated what was damaged and how best to support her without pressuring her right foreleg,:: he explained and nodded to Hound to leave ahead of him. ::I did study feline anatomy when it became clear she fixated on me.::

Sundar made a small hiss when Prowl picked her up, but the lack of pressure on her right shoulder felt good. Being carried brought back dim thoughts of cub-time, and she reluctantly let herself relax a bit.

Until she smelled the bad place. Her entire body went tense and she began to prepare to move, only to have a strong hand find her scruff and hold her.

"Trick." She grumbled, unable to jump away from both of them.

"Fix you." Hound firmly replied.

"Me fine." Sundar insisted, blatantly ignoring her previous limps and pain.

"First Aid will determine that," Prowl said firmly as they walked in.

"Not Mean Mech?" She twisted her head to look up at Prowl. Gentle-Mech wasn't too bad; he wasn't nearly as bad as Mean Mech. Maybe she could trick him.

"Not Ratchet," Prowl nodded and gently put her on a berth. Hound kept a hand on her scruff, but his grip relaxed a bit.

"What's wrong, Sundar?" First Aid moved over to the opposite side of the berth, holding his hand out for her to sniff.

"Me fine." She insisted. Gentle-Mech smelled of pain but not the way Mean Mech usually did.

"All right," First Aid said agreeably but initiated a deep scan of her anyway. With a low hum he regarded her, then transformed one of his fingers into an impossibly thin needle and gently pressed it into her scruff. "You will feel better soon." ::She's badly damaged her right shoulder. It will require surgery and several orns of relative immobility. She will not be happy.::

"No Poke!" She hissed, twisting to bite his finger. It didn't stop him and he let her bite, paying close attention to the pressure to be sure they wouldn't have to repair her teeth again. "Mean trick. Bad Gentle-Mech." She grumbled as she fell asleep. 

* * *

Nearly a metacycle after Sundar had come to live with them and subsequently adopted Prowl, Jazz was not looking forward to grief among the crew when she died. It wouldn't be long now, he knew. A decaorn or two at most. Not that any mobile Terran organic lasted very long. He silently hacked Prowl's control panel. The mech really should be in his berth by now.

As the door opened, Red Alert commed Jazz. ::Quiet.::

Jazz obeyed and moved slowly as well. A slow smile crossed his features at the visual of Prowl braced on his forearms on the desk with Sundar sprawled across his shoulders. Sundar's head rested against Prowl's doorwing with her tail flicking lightly near his chestplate. As he watched, the large cat let out a snore, but the noise didn't seem to disturb Prowl.

It was adorable and he took high quality snappies and vid of it. Both to tease Prowl with later and to remember Sundar by.

**Author's Note:**

> Fandom: Transformers G1  
> Author: gatekat, fianna9  
> Pairings: None  
> Chars: Prowl, Sundar (big cat)  
> Rating: PG-13  
> Codes: Cats being predators  
> Summary: The Autobots agree to take in a big cat that is too much into close physical contact for humans to handle. It decides that Prowl will be its new friend.
> 
> Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page <http://www.gatekat-fics.livejournal.com/290.html>. We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read. 
> 
> Prompt: <http://tf-bunny-farm.livejournal.com/411843.html>
> 
> 3) Wild cat rescue/rehab - Some wildlife sanctuary receives big cats from the pet trade and tries to set them up in natural environments. Most big cats are happy, but they end up with one who was so accustomed to living its daily life with humans that it falls into depression at the sanctuary. Unfortunately, the animal really is too large and dangerous (maybe it accidentally hurt its previous owners while playing too roughly) to be permitted the regular human interaction it seems to crave.
> 
> So, in desperation, the sanctuary calls the one group that they know cannot be hurt by a cross yet needy liger, Siberian tiger, or whatever: the Autobots.
> 
> Bonus points for the 'kitty' being adopted by someone other than Hound or Beachcomber.
> 
> nanoklik = 1/8 second;  
> klik = 496 nanokliks/62 seconds;  
> breem = 8 kliks/8.27 minutes;  
> groon = 9 breem/1.24 hours;  
> joor = 6 groon/7.44 hours;  
> orn = 42 joor/13.02 days;  
> decaorn = 32 orns/1.14 years;  
> metacycle = 8 decaorn/9.22 years;  
> vorn = 9 metacycles/72 decaorn/83 years;  
> ::text:: comm chatter  
> ~text~ hardline/bond chatter


End file.
